Dukas: Ariane et Barbe-Bleu

This is a marvellous opera by a composer who produced very little but what there is of it is marvellously crafted. Ariane has had a mini-revival in 2007 when Telarc released a studio recording conducted by Leon Botstein with the BBC SO and American soprano Lori Phillips in the title role. Imagine my surprise when the small Austrian label Oehms launched another Ariane in April 2008 which is a utter stunner. It is conducted by French conductor Bertrand de Billy, stars soprano Deborah Polaski but the real star is the Vienna RSO which blows the competition to pieces. At first I was led to believe that the orchestra playing in this recording was the Vienna SO and I thought that the band sounded as good as the VPO! But it is actually the Vienna Radio SO which is playing. This marvellous orchestra brings out every detail in Dukas' lustrous scoring and the quality of the front desk fiddles takes one's breath away as do the horns and winds. In comparison the BBC SO cannot illuminate the intricacies of the score and Telarc's recording is disappointing. If you can access the Naxos listening site listen to this Oehms recording - you'll love it!

Gramophone Magazine Orchestra List

I cannot comprehend what possessed the Gramophone panel to call the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra the world's No 1 orchestra. It is a good orchestra but from what I have witnessed it does not deserve to rate ahead of the Berlin Philharmonic or the Staatskapelle Dresden (my No 1). As for the LSO being No 5 on the list, give me a break!
My criteria for orchestras is simple - listen to the oboe and the horn sections. There is a world-wide shortage of good players in both instruments. Unfortunately the Concertgebouw horn section doesn't cut it and the oboes don't blend either. The same goes for the oboes in the LSO - there are other British orchestras with better woodwinds (Philharmonia, BBC Phil). If the oboe is off there goes the whole orchestra's tuning.
Watch the RCO's DVD of Heldenleben and there are fluffed and split notes , missed entries no way is that the world'd best orchestra. There is a problem with oboes in the Berlin PO they have never replaced Lothar Koch or Schellenberger properly. Pahud is a great replacement for Galway but the individuality of the world's greatest woodwind section (Karajan's Berlin Phil) has become diluted. Dresden is a better example of the qualities of a traditional German orchestra with its warmth and precision. The Bavarian RSO is a fine orchestra but it does not have the traditions of Berlin, Dresden or Leipzig.
Where have the critics been for the last 20 years Leningrad has been St Petersburg for that long! Here is the list:

1 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

2 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

3 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

4 London Symphony Orchestra

5 Chicago Symphony Orchestra

6 Bavarian Radio Symphony

7 Cleveland Orchestra

8 Los Angeles Philharmonic

9 Budapest Festival Orchestra

10 Dresden Staatskapelle

11 Boston Symphony Orchestra

12 New York Philharmonic

13 San Francisco Symphony

14 Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra

15 Russian National Orchestra

16 Leningrad Philharmonic

17 Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

18 Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

19 Saito Kinen Symphony Orchestra

20 Czech Philharmonic